Sovereign Governments Policy

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP has a strong interdisciplinary practice to support sovereign governments in Washington, D.C., and around the world. The firm’s resources include one of the largest and most successful public policy practices in Washington, D.C., a preeminent international trade policy practice and strong regulatory practices to assist in understanding and responding to developments in the United States that affect foreign governments and the companies they represent.

The Akin Gump sovereign government team comprises sophisticated lawyers, economists and other professionals with extensive senior government and private practice experience. Included among our team members are professionals with distinguished careers in government, who served in positions including—

Members of Congress

Assistant Secretary of State for Political Military Affairs

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs

Deputy Assistant to the Vice President for National Security Affairs

Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research (INR)

Special Assistant and Senior Director for Russia, Ukraine and the Eurasian States at the National Security Council

Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense

Chief International Trade Counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance

Associate General Counsel in the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR)

Senior Advisor for International Economic Affairs and Senior Counselor to the Director of the National Economic Council at the White House

To complement our capabilities, the firm formed a strategic alliance with Jones Group International (JGI), the global consulting group led by Gen. James L. Jones, USMC (Ret.), former National Security Advisor to President Obama, Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Commander of the U.S. European Command, and 32nd Commandant of the Marine Corps. Through the alliance, Gen. Jones and the JGI team will provide strategic advice and counsel to Akin Gump clients on a broad array of international policy and national security issues.

Further, with offices in Moscow, London, Hong Kong, Geneva, Beijing, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Akin Gump has a global reach and international capabilities.

Representative Engagements

Our team provides comprehensive government relations advocacy and policy services to foreign embassies in the United States. We offer embassies a broad range of services concerning economic and trade issues including:

advising on trade relations, negotiation of bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements (FTAs), implementation of World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements and advocacy with regard to trade and WTO disputes

advising on all matters related to FTAs, including advocacy before the USTR and Members of Congress, as well as with business community stakeholders

advising on Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) renewal and reform of the program

conducting analyses of bilateral economic relationships, including state-by-state and sector-by-sector analysis, which serve as a powerful tool for policymakers and parties seeking to expand diplomatic and commercial ties

counseling on U.S. tax policy and tariff preference levels

advising on efforts to secure Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) with the United States

Related Practice

We advise businesses, trade associations, nongovernmental organizations and governments on negotiating the maze of global, regional and bilateral rules of commerce and investment to help them overcome the challenges and exploit the opportunities present in the increasingly complex and fiercely competitive global marketplace.